2 hablar The conjugation of -ar verbs habl aba habl ábamos habl abasJust as with other tenses, we always start with the stem of the verb.Notice the written accent mark!hablarhablabahablábamoshablabashablabaisonly on the nosotros formhablabahablabanThere are no irregular -ar verbs in the imperfect!

3 comer The conjugation of -er verbs ía íamos com com ías íais com comíanAll forms have a written accent over the í.

4 escribir The conjugation of -ir verbs ía íamos escrib escrib ías íaisíanAll forms have a written accent over the í.Notice that the conjugation of -ir verbs is identical to that of -er verbs.

5 ser There are only three irregular verbs! era éramos eras erais eraNotice the written accent mark!eraéramoseraseraisonly on the nosotros formeraeran

6 ir There are only three irregular verbs! iba íbamos ibas ibais ibaNotice the written accent mark!ibaíbamosibasibaisonly on the nosotros formibaiban

7 ver There are only three irregular verbs! veía veíamos veías veíaisveíanAll forms have a written accent over the í.

8 The use of the imperfectThe imperfect is always used to express age and time of day in the past:Yo tenía quince años cuando aprendí a manejar.I was fifteen years old when I learned to drive.Eran las diez cuando el tren llegó a la estación.It was ten o’clock when the train arrived at the station.

9 The use of the imperfectWhile the preterit tense is used to describe actions viewed as completed, the imperfect is used to . . .Express that which happened habituallyExpress ongoing actions and states in the past, without reference to their beginning or endingExpress mental, physical, and emotional states in the pastDescribe scenarios and situations in the pastExpress indirect statements

12 The use of the imperfectExpressing the habitual (used to, would)Of course, the imperfect is not limited to discussing childhood activities. Any habitual activities are expressed in the imperfect.Pedro comía en ese restaurante todos los sábados.Pedro used to eat at that restaurant every Saturday.Ana iba de compras todo el tiempo.Ana used to go shopping all the time.

13 The use of the imperfectWhile the preterit tense is used to describe actions viewed as completed, the imperfect is used to . . .Express that which happened habituallyExpress ongoing actions and states in the past, without reference to their beginning or endingExpress mental, physical, and emotional states in the pastDescribe scenarios and situations in the pastExpress indirect statements

14 The use of the imperfectExpressing the ongoing (was ing)The imperfect expresses something that was happening at a given time, without reference to its beginning or ending:Roberto estudiaba en su cuarto.Roberto was studying in his room.Elena lavaba los platos en la cocina.Elena was washing the dishes in the kitchen.Ayer a eso de las cuatro yo leía el periódico mientras mi esposa miraba la tele.Yesterday around four o’clock I was reading the newspaper while my wife was watching TV.

15 The use of the imperfectExpressing the ongoing (was ing)Frequently the ongoing action is interrupted by another abrupt or completed action that is expressed, of course, in the preterit:Roberto estudiaba en su cuarto cuando el teléfono sonó.Roberto was studying in his room when the phone rang.Elena lavaba los platos en la cocina cuando alguien tocó a la puerta.Elena was washing the dishes in the kitchen when someone knocked at the door.

16 The use of the imperfectExpressing the ongoing (was ing)Frequently the ongoing action is interrupted by another abrupt or completed action that is expressed, of course, in the preterit:Conversábamos con el dependiente cuando Lourdes entró en la joyería.We were talking with the clerk when Lourdes entered the jewelry store.Las chicas salían de la tienda cuando Jorge las vio.The girls were leaving the store when Jorge saw them.

17 The use of the imperfectWhile the preterit tense is used to describe actions viewed as completed, the imperfect is used to . . .Express that which happened habituallyExpress ongoing actions and states in the past, without reference to their beginning or endingExpress mental, physical, and emotional states in the pastDescribe scenarios and situations in the pastExpress indirect statements

18 The use of the imperfectExpressing mental, physical and emotional statesAlicia estaba contenta durante el concierto.Alicia was happy during the concert.Nos sentíamos mal después de comer allí.We felt sick after eating there.De niño yo siempre creía en Santa Claus.As a child I always believed in Santa Claus.Los estudiantes no querían estudiar aunque sabían que era necesario.The students didn’t want to study even though they knew that it was necessary.

19 The use of the imperfectWhile the preterit tense is used to describe actions viewed as completed, the imperfect is used to . . .Express that which happened habituallyExpress ongoing actions and states in the past, without reference to their beginning or endingExpress mental, physical, and emotional states in the pastDescribe scenarios and situations in the pastExpress indirect statements

20 The use of the imperfectDescribing scenarios and situationsEra un día triste. Hacía muy mal tiempo y llovía. Yo leía en mi cuarto y esperaba una llamada telefónica. Anita practicaba el piano en la sala y los niños jugaban a la pata coja en el garaje.It was a sad day. The weather was very bad and it was raining. I was reading in my room and waiting for a telephone call. Anita was practicing the piano in the living room and the children were playing hopscotch in the garage.

21 The use of the imperfectWhile the preterit tense is used to describe actions viewed as completed, the imperfect is used to . . .Express that which happened habituallyExpress ongoing actions and states in the past, without reference to their beginning or endingExpress mental, physical, and emotional states in the pastDescribe scenarios and situations in the pastExpress indirect statements

22 The use of the imperfectExpressing indirect statementsCarlos dijo que Juan venía a mi casa a las ocho.Carlos said that Juan was coming to my house at eight o’clock.Los agentes afirmaron que los espías hablaban muy bien el inglés.The agents affirmed that the spies spoke English very well.El volante policíaco representa que el delincuente era bajo y cojeaba un poco.The police flyer states that the criminal was short and limped somewhat.

23 Overview of the use of the imperfect1. Age and time of day in the pastYo tenía treinta años cuando me casé.I was thirty years old when I got married.Eran las tres cuando Hugo llegó.It was three o’clock when Hugo arrived."used to"2. Habitual actionDe niño, yo siempre comía cereal."would"As a child, I always used to eat cereal.Íbamos al parque con frecuencia.We would go to the park frequently.Hablábamos español en nuestra casa.We spoke Spanish in our house.

24 Overview of the use of the imperfect3. Ongoing action"was ing"Carlos leía el periódico mientras su hijo cortaba el césped.Carlos was reading the newspaper while his son was mowing the lawn.4. Description—setting the sceneEra un día muy lúgubre. El cielo estaba nublado y llovía a cántaros.It was a very gloomy day. The sky was cloudy and it was raining cats and dogs.

25 Overview of the use of the imperfect5. Mental, physical, and emotional statesJuan pensaba que necesitaba más dinero del que tenía para el viaje.Juan thought that he needed more money than he had for the trip.6. Indirect statementsPancho dijo que su hermano vendía su coche.Pancho said that his brother was selling his car.

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